Arson, attempted murder, drugs: History revealed as former fugitive Leslie Gordon Sharp jailed over $1.9m Home Hill meth bust

The long and dark past of a notorious North Queensland criminal jailed over a near $2m meth bust can now be revealed – including his connection to a “gangland-style” shooting that rocked suburban Townsville.

The long and dark past of a notorious North Queensland criminal jailed over a near $2m meth bust can now be revealed – including his connection to a “gangland-style” shooting that rocked suburban Townsville.

After more than a month of police monitoring Kelso man Leslie Gordon Sharp’s communications, officers intercepted the vehicle he was a passenger in at Home Hill on the afternoon of February 18, 2020.

What they would find would be one of the largest meth seizures the Townsville region had seen in recent years.

In the search of the car – which was driven by Paul Lindsay Barclay – officers found 1.9kg of meth in a spare tyre, $192,700 cash and 663gm of cannabis.

Leslie Gordon Sharp was busted with nearly $2 million worth of ice and almost $200,000 in cash hidden in the spare tyre. Years ago Sharp was listed in Australia's most wanted crims.

At 1.9kg, the meth had an estimated street value of up to $1.9 million.

Sharp on Thursday pleaded guilty in Townsville Supreme Court to five charges including two counts of possessing a dangerous drug, and one count of possessing currency obtained from the supply of dangerous drugs.

Crown prosecutor Monique Sheppard said Sharp had been the “architect” behind the operation.

“He organised the sourcing of those drugs and its transportation from Brisbane with the intention for those drugs to be sold here in Townsville,” Ms Sheppard said.

The court heard Barclay had played a “courier” role in the operation, and had been sentenced to eight years jail, with parole eligibility set for October 2022.

Leslie Gordon Sharp, 55, has been jailed after police intercepted a car with almost 2kg of meth stashed inside a spare tyre at Home Hill on February 18, 2020. Pictures: Queensland Police

Now, the Bulletin can reveal the latest addition to Sharp’s lengthy and sordid criminal history.

Months before the Home Hill drug bust, Sharp played a part in the events after a “gangland-style” shooting on Gould St, Kirwan on August 10, 2019.

He was in November this year sentenced on a single count of arson alongside his son, Dylan Ryan Tuckwell-Cvek, 28, after a near three-week long double-header trial in Townsville Supreme Court.

Tuckwell-Cvek also goes by the alias Dylan Wolf, and has connections to Victoria.

A non-publication order against Sharp’s name prevented media from identifying him until his most recent sentencing.

Sharp’s arson charge related to his involvement in the torching of a stolen red Mercedes-Benz, after Kayla Cheree Maxfield, 27, and Tuckwell-Cvek’s offending on the quiet Kirwan street.

Maxfield – who shot multiple rounds from a .45 handgun into a car with a Townsville man inside – was also sentenced on the same date, but had not gone to trial alongside the father and son.

She pleaded guilty to dangerous conduct with a weapon, unlawful use of a motor vehicle, arson, and an alternative charge of malicious act with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.
Her attempted murder charge was withdrawn.

Leslie Gordon Sharp, 55 (middle) was recently convicted on a count of arson of a stolen Mercedes-Benz, used as a getaway car by Kayla Cheree Maxfield (left) and his son, Dylan Ryan Tuckwell-Cvek (right) during a shooting on Gould St, Kirwan in 2019.

Tuckwell-Cvek’s attempted murder charge was also withdrawn and substituted for a count of malicious act with intent to cause grievous bodily harm – for which he pleaded not guilty to.

He was found guilty on malicious act and arson charges.

Maxfield was sentenced to eight and a half years jail, while Tuckwell-Cvek was sentenced to eight.

Sharp was also convicted and sentenced to 17 years’ jail in 1999 for attempted murder, sexual assault, and deprivation of liberty in Queensland.

He was released on parole in 2010, but later went on the run after breaching his probation orders.

Nearly $2 million worth of drugs and $192k cash was found stashed in the spare tyre of a car. Picture: QPS

Sharp was then named in Operation Roam, a police-led national manhunt formed to catch Victoria’s most wanted criminals, and was later arrested at Yandina in 2015.

In court, Sharp’s lawyer said his client had spent 1000 days in custody.

He was sentenced to 11 years’ jail, with a parole eligibility date set for November 2026.

His 1010 days of presentence custody was not declared as time served.

After the sentencing, Sharp unleashed a spectacular spray as he was taken into custody.

“F***ing oath I should have got parole,” he yelled.

“They f*** you when you’re a kid, and they keep f***ing ya until the day you die, the f***ing dogs.”

Originally published as Arson, attempted murder, drugs: History revealed as former fugitive Leslie Gordon Sharp jailed over $1.9m Home Hill meth bust